First Kiss

by Bernadette Marie

  The light turned green, and the car behind her honked.

  Olivia drove toward the house, but the thought that what if Kat was right nagged at her. Was that why she was sick? Did she really get pregnant again?

  There were millions of women in the world who couldn’t get pregnant, and she could get pregnant each time she had protected sex with a man? What good was a birth control pill anyway?

  The cold sweat was back. She looked in the back seat, and Gage had fallen asleep. A glance at the clock told her it was already nearing six. Certainly she wasn’t going to buy a pregnancy test in town—even though it was going to be negative. She’d have to drive over the hill to Aspen Hills to buy it.

  It would put her mind at ease, and when it was negative perhaps she’d go to the doctor and find out why she didn’t feel good, though she assumed it was all the stress Cade was putting her under.

  She quickly turned left and headed out of town.

  Cade hated assembling furniture as much as he hated moving. He’d accepted his coaching position, and he was glad Ashley had given him that phone call. He’d been right. It was the coaching position of a lifetime, and he’d never have passed it up. Only now he was settling into a house he never thought he’d live in, assembling furniture he’d had to buy, and smelling paint fumes, which were making him sick. But it would all be worth it.

  Though when he’d realized that Olivia had called and paged him as many times as she had, he figured he’d better give her a little something before she completely hated him all over again. The text was short and simple. He’d call her soon, just not yet.

  As he stood up to look at the night stand he’d assembled, his phone rang again. This time it was Ashley.

  “You settled in?”

  Cade wiped the back of his neck with his hand. “Almost. How come I didn’t just bring the furniture out of that house?”

  “Because you sold this to me with everything in it.”

  Cade laughed. “Right.”

  “And I have to tell you, I’m loving that car!” He was nearly singing. “You wouldn’t believe how fast I got it going the other day.”

  Cade shook his head. “Don’t kill yourself. I wouldn’t forgive myself.”

  “I promise. After all, I’ll be heading out there soon to see you get married.” Ashley coughed in the phone. “I can’t believe I said that aloud. Cade Carter—a married man with a kid. Who would have ever guessed?”

  “Certainly not me.” He took the wrench out of his pocket and tightened another bolt. “I thought my cover was blown today. She was driving through town when I passed her.”

  “You’re really an idiot, aren’t you? Why would you want to be there and not tell her?”

  “Because I want to surprise her. You should see my old room. Gage is going to love it.”

  “Well, I think that injury scrambled your brains, but I have to say, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you happier. I’ll see you next week.”

  Cade turned off the phone and slid it back in his pocket. She was going to love him even more when she found out he’d been finishing up his father’s house so they could live there as a family after their surprise wedding under the tree.

  Olivia sat on her bed and tried to breathe. It wasn’t going very well. Gage had been asleep for hours. He was very tired, and she’d been sitting there nearly as long.

  What was she going to do now?

  She stared at the pregnancy test as if it were going to change its mind. She was pregnant with Cade Carter’s baby.

  Before she’d taken the test, she’d called him and there was no answer. She’d sent him two more text messages to call her, but he hadn’t. It was clear in her mind that he’d forgotten all about her, and now she was pregnant, again, with another Carter child.

  At least when she ran to the bathroom this time, she knew why she was sick.

  He didn’t love her. He didn’t want them. Only now, there were more of them.

  She cleaned herself up and stared at the reflection in the mirror. She’d be damned if he’d do this to her. He’d want the baby. He wasn’t Conner. Cade understood what it meant to be a good parent. She’d seen him with Gage. He loved him.

  Well, if he wasn’t going to return her text messages or phone calls, there was only one thing to do.

  Olivia headed back to her bedroom, took out her suitcase, and started to pack. She and Gage were going on a road trip. How could he turn her away if she was standing on his front porch?

  Chapter Seventeen

  Cade stood in the kitchen and looked around. In one week, the house had been transformed. New carpet, new furniture, and he had a whole new outlook on life.

  Next week he’d have the rest of Conner’s old house taken out, but for now, he was enjoying the bliss that was his new life.

  He’d never expected the call from Coach Cal offering him the measly job of high school football coach right there in Aspen Creek, but it had been the right job at the right time. He and Olivia would be very happy in their little town, in the only house either of them had ever called home.

  Cade poured out the last bit of his coffee into the new sink and even loaded the mug into the new dishwasher. The call from his lawyer had come in the night before, and he’d drawn up all the necessary papers to adopt Gage and give him that Carter name he deserved.

  Everything felt just right.

  Now all he had to do was take the key to the safety deposit box to the bank, and if he’d calculated right, Olivia should be working.

  Cade took in a deep breath and let it out slow. Life couldn’t be any more perfect.

  Downtown Aspen Creek was still quiet when Cade rolled through Main Street. He’d stopped by Mindy Field’s and grabbed a fancy coffee for Olivia and a muffin. He thought the cran-orange one was the one she’d ordered.

  His next stop was the grocery store where he picked up a bouquet of flowers.

  He didn’t see her car when he pulled into the parking lot of the bank. Perhaps he’d just not seen it on the other side of the building.

  Cade stepped out of the Bronco. Who would have thought he’d enjoy having it more than the Porsche. But a new car, with room for Gage, was certainly in his future. Perhaps a new car for Olivia, too. Something he could trust in the snow.

  The bank was empty except for Parker and Kat, who both lifted their heads when he walked through the door with his arms loaded down with flowers, coffee, and muffins.

  “Cade, I didn’t know you were in town.” Parker walked toward him.

  “Yeah.” He looked around. “Isn’t Olivia working today?”

  Parker and Kat exchanged looks. “She called me at ten o’clock last night and said she needed a few days off. She left this morning for Wisconsin.”

  “She what?” He had to focus and not drop everything in his arms. “Why?” He sounded stupid, but he could tell he was completely left out of the loop.

  Kat had walked out to the lobby and was standing next to Parker. “Oh, Cade, look at you bearing gifts. Caffeine isn’t good for her.”

  “I beg your pardon.”

  “Expectant mothers shouldn’t drink things like that. It’s not good for the baby.”

  Cade shifted his eyes back to Parker.

  Parker took a step back. “Kat, you don’t know that.”

  “Hmmm.” She moved closer to Cade. “Give me those and let me put them in some water. Parker, take Mr. Carter into your office and conduct business in there. I see Mrs. Abilene, and she doesn’t need a scene in the lobby of the bank.”

  Carter didn’t know what to think about the crazy conversation Kat seemed to be holding with herself, but he followed a very nervous Parker into his office and sat in front of his desk as Parker closed the door.

  “Cade, I’m sorry about that. Kat seems to have…”

  “Olivia is pregnant?”

  Parker let out a long breath and it was pissing Cade off. What did he already know that Cade didn’t? The worst images were popping into his head. Maybe she w
as pregnant, and maybe the baby was Parker’s. Then again, if he knew about it, why would Olivia have gone to Wisconsin?

  Parker sat down behind his desk. “Kat decided that because Olivia hadn’t been feeling well, she must be pregnant.”

  “So, she’s not?”

  Parker only shrugged. “I don’t know. I got a little worked up over it and made a huge scene and…”

  Cade was on his feet, and he couldn’t help but notice how pathetic Parker looked literally cowering behind his desk. Cade backed down and sat in the chair.

  “What kind of scene?”

  Parker wiped his hand across his forehead. “I asked her to marry me.”

  “You what?” He was back up and out of his chair again.

  Parker stood. “Cade, I have cared about her as long as you have. It just always seemed as if I was the only one who remembered that she needed to be taken care of. You and Patsy were always causing her so much pain.”

  “And you think it will always be that way?”

  “C’mon, be realistic.”

  At that moment he could have put Parker through a wall, but then again, throwing Buck into the jukebox had only made him look the part of the stupid bully he’d obviously been known for.

  Cade tried to calm down. He set the coffee and the muffin on Parker’s desk. “I’m not going to back down this time. I love her, and I hope you can respect that.” It sounded mature enough when he said it.

  “I know. She wasn’t happy with me for proposing. She even threatened to resign.”

  “She quit her job?”

  “No, I asked her not to. But when she found out your dad had arranged with my father for her to have a job, she was furious.”

  Cade sunk back in his chair. “He arranged the job?”

  “Your dad did a lot of things for her after Gage was born. You can imagine Kat’s tongue wagging then.”

  Cade fisted his hands tightly. “She didn’t have an affair with my father.”

  “I know that. She told me.”

  Cade took his father’s will and the paperwork Olivia had needed out of his pocket and set it on Parker’s desk. “My father left everything in his accounts to Gage. Here is his will.” He pushed it toward him. “I want to sign it all over to him.”

  “We can do that.”

  He reached into his front pocket and pulled out the safety deposit box key and set it on the desk, too. “He left me the contents of the box. Do you suppose I could see it?”

  “Yes.” Parker pulled papers out from the drawer of his desk. “We have some paperwork to do first.”

  “Great.”

  At least he’d have the accounts arranged before Olivia came back.

  Damn, he needed to stop her.

  Olivia had called Parker as she pulled out onto the highway last night. Once she’d recovered from the shock that she was pregnant, she’d packed, put Gage in the car, and drove way. She was exhausted.

  There had been a small nest egg she’d kept. She’d always hoped to pay Austin back with it, but under the circumstances, she thought using it to purchase an airline ticket would be acceptable. She had to get to Cade and tell him about the baby.

  At this point, she wasn’t sure what he’d do, and she didn’t care. But he had the means to take care of his baby, and he’d said he’d take care of Gage since he was the only relative he had left. Olivia thought it was time Cade Carter take care of something in his life.

  The flight was long. Gage didn’t understand what was going on, and he was restless throughout the entire flight.

  She could only hope that when she made it to Green Bay the taxi ride to his house wouldn’t take up the rest of her funds, but she couldn’t be sure. She’d looked up the address Austin had had for Cade. God, what if he didn’t live there anymore?

  Olivia gave the taxi driver the address. She took in the scenery as they headed toward Cade’s house.

  Wisconsin was beautiful.

  Oh, was she holding him back by asking him to move back to Aspen Creek?

  The moment Gage yelled “Dade,” she turned with a jerk. Bigger than life, there was a picture of him on a billboard.

  He still belonged to this community.

  Her heart squeezed in her chest. None of this was going to work unless she moved. Gage’s eyes were wide as he watched the huge body of water outside the window. Even Olivia couldn’t believe that was just a lake.

  When the driver pulled up to the house, there was a gate at the street with a speaker box. He pulled up far enough so she could press the button.

  “He-loo.” It was a woman’s voice on the other end, and her English was extremely broken.

  “I am here to see Cade Carter.”

  “You have appointment?”

  Olivia laughed. This certainly wasn’t expected. He was more well off than she’d even assumed.

  “No, I don’t have an appointment. I am his fiancée.”

  For a moment, there was silence. “You his what?”

  “His fiancée.”

  “Miser Carter not here. You want to see Ashley?”

  There was a knot in her throat. “Pardon me?”

  “Ashley live here. You talk to Ashley.”

  The tears stung her eyes. Her stomach tightened. The weight of her crashing world was heavy on her shoulders.

  “No, I don’t want to talk to Ashley.”

  The tears fell. She couldn’t stop them. The entire trip had been a mistake. “Take us back to the airport please,” she told the driver.

  How was she going to take care of two children on her own?

  And why hadn’t she seen this coming? The bastard already lived with another woman.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Parker and Cade had signed everything over to Gage and closed out anything else. He hadn’t realized how long his father had done business in that town.

  “I’ll go get the box for you,” Parker said just as Cade’s phone rang.

  He looked at it. It was Ashley. Thank God.

  “Rumor has it my girl is headed your way. I can’t get a hold of her.”

  “Cade, shut the hell up. She’s been here.”

  “Listen, this isn’t how I wanted this to go, but keep her there. Make her comfortable. I’ll get the next flight out.”

  “Damn it, Cade. I don’t have her, you idiot. She came in a cab. Consuela told her you weren’t here.”

  Cade let out a groan. “She just left.”

  “You bet she did. As soon as Consuela told her you were gone and Ashley lived there. She could talk to Ashley.”

  Cade shook his head. At first, Ashley wasn’t even making sense. What did it matter if… “Oh, dear Lord! She thinks I left to go back to Green Bay to some woman.”

  “That’s what I’d be thinking. See, my mama was causing trouble way back when.”

  “And I haven’t talked to her all week. I was hiding, trying to get everything together.”

  “I’ve said it before. I’m saying it again. You’re an idiot.”

  “I’m feeling it.”

  Parker walked through the door with the box in his hand and set it on the desk.

  Cade turned to the side. “Dude, get here on the next flight. We’re going to do this tomorrow.”

  Ashley groaned. “At some point, I assume you’re going to let me lounge in peace in my new house with my new car.”

  “Sure, but until then, get here.”

  “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

  Cade ended the call and turned back to the desk. Parker stood there. “You’re welcome to stay in here and go through this.”

  He looked at the box. This was all that was left minus the keepsakes Cade had stored in the basement.

  “You don’t have to go,” he said, almost as if he didn’t want to be left alone with his father.

  Parker nodded and took his seat.

  There wasn’t much in the box. A few titles to cars, ones he didn’t even think were around anymore. Maybe his father had forgotten about the bo
x. He’d find out in time. There was the title to the house, which would be needed.

  Cade pulled out a long box and opened it.

  He heard Parker take a deep breath. “Conner’s Purple Heart.”

  Cade looked up at him.

  “Your dad showed it to me before he put it in the box. He thought it would be safe in there after Conner died. He wasn’t even sure his sister knew about it.”

  “Olivia told me what happened.”

  “I can’t imagine what he saw. It’s too bad his life wasn’t different from the start. He was a fantastic man. Things just turned.”

  Cade nodded his head. He wished he could have known the man Conner had become. He’d keep the medal safe for Gage. That would be something honorable to know about your father. This was his chance to make Conner Carter bigger than life, and he was going to do just that.

  There was one more box left in the safety deposit box, and this one was a ring box.

  He pulled it out and hesitantly opened it.

  Inside was a diamond solitaire. He’d have guessed an engagement ring. Had his father planned to give that to Olivia? Had Conner?

  He closed the box and continued with the few items left.

  There were more receipts for items that Cade couldn’t identify and an old silver dollar. He laughed at the random things left in the box. At the bottom was an envelope of pictures.

  They were black and white and of his father at a much younger age. He saw the resemblance now. He certainly was his father’s child.

  He flipped to the next picture and froze. It was the first time he’d seen his mother’s face since she’d left them. Honestly, he didn’t remember her at all. She could have walked up to him on the street, and he wouldn’t have known her. But to see her, standing next to his father, he remembered her.

  The picture after that was of his parents standing over their wedding cake. The ring in the box had been his mother’s.

  There was a pang in his heart. He wanted Olivia to have the ring. Not because his mother didn’t care about it, but it symbolized everything else. Olivia knew his mother couldn’t have stayed in Aspen Creek. Certainly he’d inherited her wanderlust. But it symbolized the sacrifice his father made to stay in the town to raise him. And if it hadn’t been for that, he’d never have met Olivia.